Table of contents for Jan/Feb 2017 in AFAR

I’VE ALWAYS BEEN amused by people who count the number of countries they’ve visited. It’s as if a destination is something to be “done” so that you can move on to the next one, when in fact every trip is distinctive. We can never truly be done with a place. A case in point for me: Bermuda. I first went to Bermuda years ago on a business trip. I remember looking out the airplane window and being amazed by the blue waters and pink beaches that ringed the island and the colorful homes that dotted the countryside. I remember being greeted by a gentleman in Bermuda shorts and a blazer at the Hamilton Princess hotel. And I remember going to some local bars and seeing how much fun everyone was…

7 ARIZONA Go in September 2017 for Restival Arizona, a digital detox that’s run in partnership with several Navajo families on the border of their reservation near Flagstaff. It’s a rare opportunity to experience a legit sweat lodge, take workshops on stargazing and other cultural practices, and kick back with tribe members surrounded by wild mesa scenery. 8 PUERTO RICO San Juan is in the midst of an electrifying street art movement. Follow @color_libre on Instagram to find new works and get the stories behind them. 9 SINGAPORE On its just-launched nonstop flights from the West Coast, Singapore Airlines’ new A350 jets have humidified cabins and LED lighting options to fight jet lag. 10 BUENOS AIRES Capitalize on the friendly exchange rate at a fresh crop of new-school Argentinian restaurants.…

Located on Peru’s northwestern coast, the long-abandoned desert metropolis of Chan Chan has kept its secrets from archaeologists. Who were these people who meticulously planned the streets winding through plazas, built royal burial platforms, and carved intricate and still-crisp images of local birds, rodents, fish, and turtles on sandstone walls? Newly excavated areas are opening to the public all the time, but increasingly frequent storms threaten to wash away Chan Chan’s delicate walls, making this a site to visit sooner rather than later. Chan Chan is on the outskirts of the city of Trujillo, an hour’s flight from Lima. Two-day entrance tickets are $3.…

Design Minded Hotels that look as good as they feel 37 LAKE COMO, ITALY Finally, a contemporary hotel to match Lake Como’s glamorous image. The sleek, 30-suite Il Sereno Lago di Como is clad in natural materials (walnut wood, stone, bronze), with two vertical gardens reaching up 35 feet to lend a feeling of seclusion and pedestrian pathways that lead to a60-foot swimming pool on the lake’s edge. From $830. 38 LA PAZ, BOLIVIA Atix is the first design-centric hotel to open in La Paz’s Zona Sur district. A facade of stacked glass, timber, and reclaimed stone conceals seven floors, each of which has an aesthetic inspired by a Bolivian landscape (the high Andes, the Uyuni salt flats) and artwork by Gastón Ugalde. Bolivia’s bounty is reflectedin the menu at Ona,…

68 ECO-RIDES CAYMAN Grand Cayman The best way to see the island’s beachy East End? On a sunrise bike ride with the justlaunched Eco-Rides Cayman. Over the course of about three mellow hours (read: no hills), you’ll pedal past geyser-like blowholes to Colliers Wilderness Reserve for glimpses of iguanas and natural palaces of stalagmites and stalactites, and then head onward to Wreck of the Ten Sail, a park commemorating the 1794 incident in which a convoy of 10 ships sank off the coast and Cayman residents saved nearly all of the shipwrecked sailors. ecoridescayman.ky 69 MASALA BAY St. Lucia The New Delhi–born chef at St. Lucia’s Spice of India—one of the best South Asian restaurants in the Caribbean—recently opened this spin-off in the Capella Marina at Marigot Bay. Along with…

In 2016, the AFAR team logged approximately a bazillion miles traveling to such places as Denmark, Cuba, and Mount Fuji, just to name a few. But we also spent a good portion of the year exploring our own backyard—the USA. The result: 16 destinations closer to home that travelers should explore now. To learn more about what we saw, did, and ate—and to plan your trip—visit afar.com/teamafar. 85. ASHEVILLE, NC 86. MARFA, TX 87. PORTLAND, OR 88. YOLO COUNTY, CA 89. HAINES, AK 90. NEW ORLEANS, LA 91. BLACK ROCK CITY, NV 92. NASHVILLE, TN 93. LOS ANGELES, CA 94. PARK CITY, UT 95. SANTA BARBARA, CA 96. THE CATSKILLS, NY 97. PHILADELPHIA, PA 98. PITTSBURGH, PA 99. CHICAGO, IL 100. CAPE COD, MA…

WE’RE IN THE MOVIE BUSINESS! Want to get a local's guide to Honolulu, discover how Le Creuset pots are made, or (attempt to) master Portuguese phrases? Introducing AFAR in Motion, our in-house video studio, which rolls out new, information-packed travel videos each month—a guide to Cuban hexes, for example, or a behind-thescenes peek at an upcoming magazine feature. Our production crew is busy creating even more for 2017. Until then, check out our work using #afarinmotion on Instagram or at vimeo.com/afarmedia. It’s 2017— Where Will You Go? Choosing your travels each year is a big decision. That’s where we come in: We’ve narrowed the world down to the 100 places that are begging to be experienced right now, from Okinawa to Jordan. Flip through the next 100 pages for ideas…

START IN GOTHENBURG Check in to a decadent room at Hotel Pigalle, around the corner from the city’s best shops, most notably Designtorget. The store showcases chic, functional housewares (watering cans, vases) from Nordic makers. Of the city’s seven Michelin-starred restaurants, nearby Koka is the best value with a $100 tasting menu of seven delicate dishes such as scallops with lemon verbena. After dinner, hit Andra Långgatan, a block-long strip of laid-back bars including Café Publik. EXPLORE THE WILD WEST Drive up to Strömstad, near Norway’s border, to catch the ferry to Sydkoster, Sweden’s car-free, westernmost town. The recently renovated Hotel Koster has 42 wood-walled rooms adorned with nautical kitsch. Rent a bike by the dock and take the only road to the Kosters Trädgårdar, a delicious hippie café run…

HISTORY IN A DAY Selma director Ava DuVernay’s short film August 28: A Day in the Life of a People, was made for the museum and focuses on six key events in black history that occurred on that date, including Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. MELODY MAKERS One of Prince’s tambourines is part of the museum’s music collection, which also includes a violin owned by the grandson of freed slave William Sugg and the 1,500-pound Mothership prop from Parliament Funkadelic’s P. Funk Earth Tour. GO FOR THE GOLD The sports exhibit is, in part, an archive of star-spangled Olympic moments. Track and field legend Carl Lewis donated his eight gold medals, and gymnast Gabby Douglas donated the grips she used on her uneven bar routine at the 2012…

ILIVE RIGHT ON the border of the 10th and the 11th arrondissements. When I moved here 10 years ago, the area wasn’t all that interesting for me, a 21-year-old who was just discovering the city. It has changed tremendously since then. Rue Oberkampf, the main drag, was always a busy market street, but when I arrived, it was mostly rundown shops and dingy bars where you’d find old men drinking at nine in the morning. When chef Pierre Sang opened his eponymous restaurant, he created a new energy on the street. Other businesses, especially restaurants and bars, followed. I’ve always loved that this area gives you a more varied view ofthe city. On my street there are a lot of bars, but as you head north, you’ll find dynamic Jewish…

“I dream of a 5 p.m. meal at Clamato, a seafood restaurant and wine bar in the 11th. I like to sit in the back, where light pours in through the window and you can peek at the garden outside. A plate of razor clams and a glass of white wine would make my Sunday.” “I have an endless love for greenhouses, in particular the Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil in the 16th. It’s calm and little known, with wrought-iron tables perfect for relaxing with a book.” “When I need a break, I visit the Jeu de Paume gallery in the Tuileries gardens, which feels like a retreat from the sound and fury of Paris streets. The exhibitions are always tastefully curated and not too big.”…

More than 10,000 of you cast your votes—here are the winners. Your 2017 Dream Destinations BEST INTERNATIONAL CITY Barcelona BEST COUNTRY Italy “What could be better than eating fresh pasta and drinking wine while perched at the top of a cliff overlooking bright blue waters, surrounded by history and lemon trees? Nothing.” —KIM TALBOTT-STONE BEST U.S. STATE Hawaii BEST U.S. CITY Charleston “Whatever you want, you can get in Charleston. And hospitality? They invented the word.” —JACQUELYN HOLLIS BEST ISLAND Cuba The newly accessible country (at least for Americans) got top billing on your ballots. Ready to visit? Check out our insiders’ guide to the country at afar.com/cubatravel. The Best Company to Take You off the Grid Wilderness Travel This outfitter has been leading adventurous travelers to the far reaches…

1 SKALA SIKAMINIAS, GREECE WHERE SHOULD AFAR readers go in 2017? That was the question I asked our team six months ago, when we started planning and developing this issue. Led by Associate Editor Aislyn Greene, we opted for a wildly ambitious approach: AFAR’s first full issue devoted to where to go in the year ahead. These 100 destinations have been pitched, analyzed, debated, and, finally, edited into a wanderlust-inducing jigsaw puzzle that fills 120 pages. These places are notable for one or more reasons: new hotels (page 73); new cultural institutions (page 36); more accessibility for American travelers (page 38). On page 120, we decided to go big and go home with a list of 16 destinations in the United States that our staff has visited recently and recommends…

16 Spot Some of the Most Seldom-Seen Creatures on Earth Climb high into the Himalayan kingdom of Ulley Valley, India, with Intrepid Travel to see a host of curious wildlife. 12 nights, from $6,180. —M.F. The endangered Tibetan antelope is often poached for its soft, warm underwool, called shahtoosh, which is used to make fine shawls. Also known as snow pigs, these ground squirrels live in colonies of up to 30 members and cuddle throughout winter for warmth. The Siberian ibex’s horns are like mammalian tree trunks. You can deduce their age from the number of rings encircling them. The snow partridge, which builds its nest on rocky hillsides, has a plumage of gray and chestnut stripes and a bright red bill. 17-19 PLAN A TRIPLE PLAY It’s not too…

afar.com/hotels/collection Aqua Wellness Resort Tola, Nicaragua Awasi Atacama and Patagonia, Chile Baglioni Cala Del Porto Punta Ala, Italy Belmond Maroma Riviera Maya, Mexico Carillon Miami Beach Miami Beach, Florida Casa de las Olas Tulum, Mexico Castle Hill Inn Newport, Rhode Island Cavallo Point Lodge Sausalito, California Chatham Bars Inn Cape Cod, Massachusetts Dorado Beach, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve Dorado, Puerto Rico Flemings Mayfair Hotel London, United Kingdom Freehand Chicago Chicago, Illinois Galley Bay Resort & Spa St. John’s, Antigua Halekulani Honolulu, Hawaii Hamilton Princess Hotel & Beach Club Hamilton, Bermuda Hotel 1000 Seattle, Washington Langham Place, New York, Fifth Avenue New York, New York Las Alcobas Mexico City, Mexico Loews Regency New York New York, New York Loews Regency San Francisco San Francisco, California Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong Hong Kong Mandarin…

PARADISE FOUND On Ponant’s new “Scattered Islands and the Seychelles” expedition cruise, you’ll spot green sea turtles and snorkel amid remote coral atolls in the Mozambique Channel. You’ll explore the Éparses Islands before heading to Aldabra and Alphonse in the Outer Seychelles and winding up in Mahé, the largest island in the Seychelles. PHARAONIC TREATMENT A treat for anyone interested in the history of Egypt, the Abercrombie & Kent “Petra to the Pyramids” experience includes a cruise down the Nile in a traditional double-sailed dahabeahwith an Egyptologist and a night at the Old Cataract hotel in Aswan, a legendary haunt for explorers. SEEK ENLIGHTENMENT A new wellness program designed by Seabourn in partnership with Dr. Andrew Weil pairs daily yoga classes with seminars on happiness and healthy aging. Achieve maximum…